Refrigerating apparatus



Oct 11, 1938. Y o. M. suMMERs 2,132,836

' REFRIGERATING APPARAT S Filed De. 31, 1955 '72 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

29 J Orr; SaMMA-zs. i

ms ATTORNEYS} .1 Oct. 11, 1938. v o, M, summ REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Dec. :51, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ms ATTORNEYS.

0770 Swine-es,

v an improved shelf arrangement which divides a' ported by a support belowthe Patented Oct. 11, 1938 REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Otto M. Summers, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a cor-.

poration of Delaware Application December 3 1, 1935, Serial No. 56,988

Claims.

This invention relates. to refrigeration and particularly to a refrigerator cabinet having novel food storage compartment arrangements therein.

In the production of mechanically refrigerated household refrigerator (2 abinets it is an ever increasing problem to provide a cabinet in which food products of various shapes and sizes rela.

tiveto one another may be stored at their different proper temperatures respectively without materially increasing the size of a cabinet and without unduly destroying a part of a predetermined storage .area provided in they cabinet. With this problem in view the objects of applicants invention and the novelty of the structure disclosed will become apparent.

,An object of the present invention is to provide an improved refrigerating apparatus of the type including a plurality of food storage compart-- of a refrigerator cabinet and are cooled to different temone another.

ments in a chamber which compartments peratures relative to Another object of the invention is to mount or install cooling elements or evaporators of a closed refrigerant circulating system withina chamber of a refrigerator cabinet so as to divide the mterior of the chamber into a plurality of food storage compartments and so as to provide a refrigerated shelf or support for certain foods to be stored in the refrigerator cabinet.

A further object of th e invention is to provide refrigerated chamber into a plurality of compartments and cooperates with the chamber so as to permitfthe storage variously shaped articles within the chamber of without materially reducing or. impairing th total food .storage capacity thereof.

4 In carrying out the foregoing objects it is a more specific object of the present invention to provide an improved shelf for a food storage chamber of a refrigerator cabinet which shelf is designed to permittall bottled beverages, supshelf, to be located along a side thereof while at the same time be? --ingarranged to permit articles space along the side of to occupy the the shelf.

thereupon when tall bottled beverages are not disposed in the space provided therefor.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the" following description, reference being'had to the accomthe present invention is gin the drawings:

clearly sh wn.

and supported I cabinet shown in Fig. 1 and taken on the line 5 2-2 thereof.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown in Fig. 1 thereof, for the purpose of illustrating my inve'ntioma refrigerator cabinet of the house hold type generally represented by the reference character III. The cabinet IIJ includes a plurality of insulating walls I I surrounding a food storage chamber provided within the cabinet. I The food storage chambensurrounded by the insulating walls II, is divided into two chambers I2 and. I3 by suitable metallic lining-members l4 and 15 respectively. The upper lining member I4 is of box-like form and has one open side disposed adjacent an access opening it provided in the front of cabinet I0 and adapted to be closed by the door I! (See Fig. 2). The lower lining member 15 has an open side, similar to the open side of lining I 4, and also has an open top provided with outwardly flared edge portions l8 which fit over and are welded or otherwise securely fastened to the bottom portion of lining I 4 so as to position the upright walls of both lining members in vertical alignment. This method of forming the inner walls of the area surrounded by the insulation H and door I! and of dividing that area into two chambers reduces manufacturing costs in that it eliminates. the handling of large lining members and facilitates assembly of the cabinet. The two liners l4 and l5, after having been secured together in the manner described, are fastened, in any suitable and well-known manner, to and supported by a wooden frame which surrounds the door opening l6 of the cabinet. I a

Each of the chambers l2 and I3 of cabinet Ill 40 are divided into a plurality of compartments for the purpose set forth in the objects of the present invention. For example, chamber I! has a sheet metal member 2| horizontally positioned therein and secured to the upright chamber 5 walls by resilient bumpers or the like 22 which -flt into depressionsv 23 provided in the lining member I l. The member 2|: forms a food support or shelf in chamber l2 and divides this chamber into-an upper food storage compart- I extends substantially entirely across the compartment 25. The space between evaporator 21 and member 2| forms a sharp freezing compartment 28 for the reception of receptacles such as ice trays 29, adapted to contain a substance to be congealed or frozen by the cooling action produced byevaporator or cooling element 21. The compartment 25 below evaporator 21 may be utilized for thestorage of certain foods such as frozen fish, meats, etc., to be maintained at a very low temperature while compartment 24 may be utilized for the storage of certain other foods not required to be maintained at such a low temperature. A door 3| secured to the front edge of shelf member 2| as at 32 and is employed to prevent free air circulation to and from compartment 25 so as to provide a temperature difference between this compartment and various other compartments in the cabinet, and so as to render compartment 25 suitable for the storage of frozen foods which are to be maintained at a temperature preferably below 32 the cooling element or evaporator 21 is always maintained below 32 F. in order to produce ice and to properly cool frozen foods stored in compartment 25.

In addition to the foregoing itis obvious that present-day requirements render it necessary to provide for the proper refrigeration in household refrigerator cabinets of bottled beverages such as ginger ale, beer and milk or other food products containing a certain amount of butter fat. To this end my improved structure is provided with a partition 34 which is in the form of a cooling element or evaporator and comprises superimposed sheet metal portions having a refrigerant passage or passages therebetween. The partition or cooling element 34 is horizontally disposed within the chamber l3 and extends substantially from one vertical wall to other vertical walls thereof to divide the chamber into an upper compartment 35 and a lower compartment 36. Cooling element or evaporator 34 forms a support for food products placed within compartment 35 and is secured in place by suitable resilient'bumpers or the like 38 fitted into depressions 39 provided in the lining member |5 of chamber 13. The compartment 36 is considerably higher than other compartments formed incabinet l0 and is therefore adapted to receive, in vertical position, a plurality of bottled beverages such as gingewle, beer and milk. The entire area of compartment 36 is not required for such oottled beverage storage and the distance from'the frdntlto the rear of chamber |3 along the side walls thereof, which affords room for two: rows ofcsuch bottled beverage, is normally sufficient. 3 Quite frequently the path along one sidewall within compartment 36 is ample storage space for bottled beverages. 'It is to be understood that whatever storage space is provided in a cabinet for bottle beverages it is desirable to have such space arranged so that duringthe act of placing bottled beverages in the refrigerated compartment or removing same therefrom tilting or tipping of bottles will be unnecessary. My improved construction has therefore been arranged to meet these desirables and to afford a storage or food supporting surface intermediate the space to be occupied by bottled beverages along the side walls of cham-,- ber I3. I provide a sheet metal s elf 4| within compartment 36 which shelf is supported from the evaporator 34 by being suspended therefrom (see Fig. 2) is pivotally F. It is to be understood that I The compressed refrigerant is shelf 4| is spaced from the side walls of com- 35. It will be noted that brackets 42 located at the partment 36 and that no part thereof or of the supports therefor obstruct the path for the reception and storage of bottled beverageathus bottles can be moved into and out of compartment 36 through the door opening IS without tipping or tilting same. Due to the taper at the top of most bottled beverages my shelf 4| is made of a size so that its side edges extend into close proximity to the upper tapered portion of the bottles supported adjacent the chamber walls. Byextending shelf 4| beyond the greater diametered or lower portion of the bottled beverages the space between the edge of shelf 4| and the vertical side wall of compartment 36 is greatly reduced as compared to other prior shelf arrangements wherein a side portion of a shelf is moved intothe area occupied by the shelf proper or is entirely removed from the shelf and the refrigerator cabinet to provide space for the storage of tall bottled beverages. This improved method of providing a food supporting shelf within the compartment 36 thereby permits dishes or plates to be supported on the shelf 4| without danger of being tilted or tipped therefrom. For example, a plate or dish supported on shelf 4| can be moved outwardly of the side edge of the shelf, into the space adapted to be occupied by tall bottles, without becoming unbalanced and sliding off the shelf. Thus my improved shelf arrangement permits the storage of foodproducts along the bottom of the relatively tall space provided for bottles in compartment 36 "and also permits the upper part of this space to be occupied by food products placed in dishes and supported upon shelf 4| when no bottles are located in the space therefor within compartment 36.

The evaporators or cooling elements 21 and 34, which form a part of a closed refrigerant circulating system mounted in or associated with cabinet Ill, are connected inseries relation with the refrigerant circulating unit of the refrigerating system. The refrigerant circulating unit of the refrigerating system includes a compressor 5| operatively connected, through belt and pulley connections 52, with an electric motor 53. Motor 53 is controlled by a switch 54 interposed in the power line leading thereto. Switch 54 is preferably of the snap acting type and includes a bellows 55 having pipe connection 56 with a thermostat bulb 51. Bellows 55 is moved to actuate switch 54 into open or closed position in' a manner well known to those skilled in the art to stop or start motor 53. Operation of motor 53 and consequently compressor. 5| causes the compressor to withdraw evaporated or gaseous refrigerant from evaporator 21 throughpipe or conduit 56. The compressor 5| compresses the gaseous refrigerant and forwards same under pressure, through the pipe 53, to a condenser 6|.

cooled and liquefled in condenser 6| in any suitable and wellknown manner and the liquid refrigerant flows into a receiver 62 where it is stored prior to being circulated, through conduit 63, to evaporator 34 under the control of a suitable expansion valve or device 64. After passing through refrigerant passages provided in the sheet metal aisaeec evaporator 34 and partially expanding or vaporizing therein, to cool chamber i3, the refrigerant is directed, by pipe 65, to the upper evaporator ti and admitted thereto under the control of a second expansion device or valve so. The refrigerant is completely evaporated or vaporized in evaporator 21 and returned in the manner described to the compressor M of the refrigerant circulating unit to be recondensed and liquefied. The thermostat alone controls the operation of the refrigerant liquid and circulating unit in response to the temperature of evaporator M in order to give preference to the cooling or refrigerating of chamber iii so as to insure proper preservation of food products, such as milk and other foods containing butter fat while the temperature of evaporator 21 may vary from 32 F. to far below this temperature without impairing proper preservation of the frozen foods in compartment 25 and substance in the trays 29 of the freezing compartment 28. Ordinarily evaporator 34 is maintained between, for exam ple, 40 and 50 F. thus rendering the\ same ideal for supporting thereon lettuce and other green vegetables without freezing same. These temperature limits of evaporator 31 are sumcient to prevent bacterial formations in milk and other butter fat containing foods and are sufficient to maintain bottled beverages such as beer. and ginger ale at the propertemperature.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have provided an improved refrigerating ape paratus wherein a plurality of compartments in a refrigerator cabinet are maintained at difierent temperatures'relative to one another thus providing a household refrigerator cabinet with compartments forvarious food products that require certain temperatures. The improved structure also substantially isolates certain foods from certain other foods to prevent the transmission of odors from one to the other. My improved shelvinrstructure for the lower compartment of the apparatus disclosed permits various arrangemerits of foods in the compartment without losing any of the total food storage area in the compartment. In other words, when bottled beverages are not stored alongside of the shelf in the lower -compartment of the cabinet my improved shelf is, byvirt'ue of its extension into close proximity of, the walls of the cabinet, substantially the equivalent ofa shellwhich extends continuously throughout the entire horizontal cross-sectional area of the refrigerated chamber.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a cabinet including a plurality of vertical and horizontal walls forming a chamber therein, a metallic member superimposed upon another metallic member and being secured thereto to divide said chamber into a plurality of chambers, means dividing the uppermost of said plurality of chambers into superimposed horizontally extending food storage compartments,

means dividing the lowermost of'said plurality -of chambers into superimposed horizontally extending food storage compartments, one of said means comprising a flat sheet metal member ex- :tending continuously and substantially entirely ,across thechamber which it divides, an evaporator of a refrigerating system carried by said flat sheet metal member and spaced therefrom to form a sharp freezing compartment therebetween, the other of said means comprising a substantially fiat plate-like sheet metal evaporator extending continuously and substantially entirely across the chamber which it divides, means for supplying liquid refrigerant to said second named evaporator, and means for conveying refrigerant from said second named evaporator to said first named evaporator.

'2. A refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a cabinet including a plurality of vertical and horizontal insulating walls defining a chamber therein, a plurality of metallic lining .sheet metal dividing means, said evaporator being spaced from the bottom of said flat sheet metal member to provide a sharp freezing compa'rtment between the evaporator and the flat sheet metal dividing means, said second named meanscomprising a substantially flat plate-like sheet metal evaporator extending continuously and substantially entirely across said lowermost of said plurality of chambers, a door for closing said chambers and said foodstorage compart-, ments, means'for supplying liquid refrigerant to said second named evaporator, and means for conveying refrigerant from said second named evaporator to saidfirst named evaporator.

3. A refrigerating apparatus comprising in com- Q bination, a cabinet including a plurality of verti cal and horizontal insulating walls defining a chamber therein, a plurality of metallic lining members disposed one upon the other to divide said chamber into a plurality of chambers, and forminmthe walls of said plurality of chambers, means dividing the uppermost of said plurality of chambers into superimposed horizontally extendingfood storage compartments, means dividing the lowermost of said plurality of chambers into superimposed horizontally extending food storage compartments, said first named means comprising a flat sheet metal member extending continuously and substantially entirely across said uppermost chamber, an evaporator of a refrigerating system comprising superimposed secured together sheet metal portions carried by said flat sheet metal dividing means, said evaporator being spaced from the bottom of said flat sheet metal member to provide a sharp freezing compartment between the evaporator and the flat shee metal dividing -means, the compartmentformed below said flat sheet metal dividing means and the horizontal portion of one of said metallic lining evaporator extending continuously and substantially entirely across said lowermost of said plurality of chambers, means forsupplying liquid rebers into superimposed horizontally extending" food storage compartments, said first named means comprising a flat sheet metal member extending continuously and substantially entirely across said uppermost chamber; an evaporator of a refrigerating system comprising superimposed secured togethe'r sheet metal portions carried by said fiat sheet'metal dividing means, said evaporator being spaced from the bottomeof said flat sheetmetal member to provide a sharp freezing compartment between the evaporator and the flat sheet metal dividing means, the compartment formed below said flat sheet metal dividing means and the horizontal portion of one of said metalliclining members having a closure member for preventing free air circulation to and from said compartment, an insulated door for closing said chamber and the other compartments formed in said cabinet, said second named means comprising a substantially flat plate-like sheet metal evaporator extending continuously and substantially entirely across said lowermost of said plurality of chambers, a shelf within the compartment below said second named evaporator, said shelf having at least one of its side edges terminating in, spaced relation to the chamber side wall to form a high narrow path along the side of the shelf for the reception of bottled beverages to be stored withinsaid cabinet, means for supplying liquid refrigerant to said second a named evaporatgr, and means for conveying refrigerant from said second named evaporator to said first named evaporator; 5

5. A refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a cabinet having a compartment therein, an access opening for said compartment in one wall of said cabinet and normally closed by a'door, means for cooling the interior of said compartment, means disposed horizontally within said compartment and dividing same into an upper food storage space and a'lower food storage space, a shelf spaced from said compartment dividing means and disposed horizontally within said lower food storage space to divide same into a plurality of superimposed smaller storage spaces, said shelf extending throughout the major portion of the width of the compartment and from the rear wall of said compartment to a point closely adjacent said door to form a top wall portion of the lower of said smaller storage spaces and a fiat food supporting surface for the upper of said smaller storage spaces, and said shelf having its side edges spaced from the side walls of said compartment to provide relatively high, narrow unobstructed paths on each side of said shelf extending entirely from the front to the rear of said compartmentintermediate said compartment dividing means and the bottom wall of the lower of said smaller storage spaces for the reception of tall articles.

' OTTO M. SUMMERS. 

